This easy recipe for Honey Soy Chicken Thighs is a flavorful meal that will bring everyone to the table.
Baked in a sweet and savory honey, garlic, and soy marinade, these chicken thighs are juicy and delicious and super simple to prepare.
Simple chicken recipes are my favorite! Like so many of my easy meals, this Honey and Soy Chicken recipe comes together with just a few pantry staples and is made with very little hands-on prep time.
Give the chicken thighs an hour or so to marinate in this delicious sauce, made with ginger, garlic, honey, and soy sauce, then just pop it in the oven! The marinade will reduce down to a luscious, sticky, Asian-style sauce that is delicious with rice or veggies.
If you like these honey soy chicken thighs, you will also enjoy my garlic butter chicken tenders, teriyaki chicken stir fry, and honey mustard chicken thighs. All of these are easy and different ways to make chicken for your family.
Honey Soy Chicken Thighs Recipe Highlights
- Easy Prep – Give yourself a little bit of extra time to let the chicken marinate. Once you mix up the honey soy marinade ingredients, it will do all of the rest of the work for you.
- Irresistible Flavors – The sweet and salty combination of soy and honey will have everyone asking for seconds or thirds!
- Budget-Friendly – Bone-in chicken thighs are one of the least expensive cuts of chicken available (and they are totally underrated!), so you can make this meal for your family without the need for any special grocery trips.
Key Ingredients
You’ll need six chicken thighs as well as some key flavor components to make this delicious meal.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: This recipe is designed to be used with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. These are a delicious and inexpensive protein, and I love how the skin crisps up. Chicken drumsticks can be used as well, they cook at the same rate.
- Soy Sauce: The base of the marinade/sauce is made from soy sauce. Low sodium soy sauce can also be used, and will cut down on the amount of salt dramatically.
- Honey: This natural sweetener helps to balance the saltiness of the soy and will caramelize in the oven.
- Chicken Broth: Just a little bit is added to the marinade to add savory flavor.
- Fresh Ginger: This is key, as freshly grated ginger adds a big burst of bright flavor to the dish.
- Seasonings: Sesame Oil, garlic powder, and onion powder give this recipe a savory note.
How To Make Honey Soy Chicken Thighs in the Oven
Tip!
No time for marinating the chicken? It’s fine! Let the chicken sit in the sauce for as little as 10 minutes. The chicken will absorb the flavors as it cooks.
Recipe Tips
- Pan size: In my testing, I found that the thighs cook best in a casserole dish. You can also use a small rimmed baking sheet or a large cast iron skillet. If your pan is much larger than the one I’m using here, the chicken may cook more quickly.
- Marinating time: for best flavor, I suggest marinating the chicken in the sauce for at least an hour. If needed, you can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to a maximum of 24 hours though! This particular marinade doesn’t have any acidic ingredients in it, so the texture of the chicken will remain the same.
- Chicken broth adds a wonderful savory flavor to this sauce, but if you’d rather not open a whole carton to use just 2 tablespoons, water can be used instead.
- Check for doneness: Chicken thighs are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C using an instant-read thermometer. If your chicken isn’t fully cooked after 50 minutes in the oven, continue baking it until it is! Larger chicken thighs will take longer to cook than smaller ones.
- For extra browning, you can place the chicken under the broiler for a couple of minutes after you’ve covered it with the sauce.
- For easier cleanup, consider lining your casserole dish with foil. Then, you can just throw out the foil and quickly wash the pan.
Storing Tips
You can keep any leftover baked chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
These chicken thighs are delicious the next day as they continue to meld with the flavors of the sauce!
What To Serve With Honey Soy Chicken
This chicken is delicious with any kind of rice! Choose from white rice, Jasmine rice, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice to keep the meal low-carb.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
Yes! Just replace the soy sauce with gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari. Aside from the soy sauce, this recipe is naturally free from gluten and wheat.
Will this work with boneless chicken thighs?
It will. If you prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs, feel free to use them instead. This recipe can also be modified to work with chicken breasts, drumsticks, or chicken wings. Adjust the baking time as needed so that the chicken cooks fully.
How do I thicken the sauce?
The amount of sauce and the thickness of it can depend on many things, including the size of your chicken thighs and the size of your pan. If the sauce is thinner than you like, you can remove the chicken and return the pan to the oven. The sauce will reduce further in a few minutes.
You can also add a small amount of cornstarch slurry to the pan juices to get it to thicken up even more and more quickly.
Can I make Extra Sauce?
This recipe doesn’t make a lot of sauce, so if you are interested in some sauce to coat your rice or sides with, I’d suggest making a batch of my General Tso’s Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce too.
More Asian-Inspired Chicken Recipes
Moo Goo Gai Pan Chinese Stir Fry
Thai Curry Soup with Chicken
Glazed Apricot Chicken Thighs
Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
There are so many delicious ways to prepare chicken thighs, but I think that this one is my new favorite! You’re going to love the sweet and savory sauce and the crispy chicken skin. Pin the recipe to save it!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Honey Soy Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Gallon sized Ziploc bag
- Meat thermometer
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) honey
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Combine the chicken thighs, soy sauce, honey, chicken broth, grated ginger, sesame oil, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake until the chicken is well coated. Place the chicken into the refrigerator for one to two hours to marinate.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), and spray a 9 x 13 casserole pan with nonstick spray.
- Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down in an even layer in the casserole pan.
- Bake the chicken for 25 minutes. Flip the chicken over and turn the oven up to 425°F for another 25 minutes until it is browned and has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
- If desired, sprinkle with some sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish.
Notes:
- Pan size: In my testing, I found that the thighs cook best in a casserole dish. You can also use a small rimmed baking sheet or a large cast iron skillet. If your pan is much larger than the one I’m using here, the chicken may cook more quickly.
- Marinating time: for best flavor, I suggest marinating the chicken in the sauce for at least an hour. If needed, you can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to a maximum of 24 hours though! This particular marinade doesn’t have any acidic ingredients in it, so the texture of the chicken will remain the same.
- Chicken broth adds a wonderful savory flavor to this sauce, but if you’d rather not open a whole carton to use just 2 tablespoons, water can be used instead.
- Check for doneness: Chicken thighs are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C using an instant-read thermometer. If your chicken isn’t fully cooked after 50 minutes in the oven, continue baking it until it is! larger chicken thighs will take longer to cook than smaller ones will.
- For extra browning, you can place the chicken under the broiler for a couple of minutes after you’ve covered it with the sauce.
- For easier cleanup, consider lining your casserole dish with foil. Then, you can just throw out the foil and quickly wash the pan.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Judith Weninger says
I love the recipe and have made it several times. But I suggest skipping the plastic bag and instead marinading the chicken in a glass bowl or pan. Is it really that much more convenient to make it worth putting yet another plastic bag into our landfills?
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks Judith! Yes, a bowl will work just as well.
Jessica says
My family loves the chicken and thank you!!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Amazing! Thank you so much.